Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Cases – With bezel or crystal details
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-23
2003-09-09
Miska, Vit (Department: 2841)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Cases
With bezel or crystal details
C368S295000, C368S299000, C368S300000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06616329
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a rotating bezel and a watch using the same, and more particularly, to a mounting structure of a rotating bezel which is preferable when it is employed by a wrist watch with a rotating bezel.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, wrist watches and the like are arranged such that an annular rotating bezel is rotatably mounted around the display section of a watch case as a main body so that a period of time passed from a certain time, and the like can be easily found by the relationship between hands in the display section and a bezel display such as gradations or the like drawn on the surface of the rotating bezel. In particular, rotating bezels which also serve as exterior designs are often used in diver's watches, sport watches and the like.
FIG. 9
shows an enlarged sectional view of a typical example of this type of a wrist watch. As shown in the figure, a glass fixing ring
11
is screwed on a watch case (barrel)
10
in this example, and a cover glass
12
is fixed to the inner periphery of the watch case
10
through a packing
13
. The cover glass
12
is held by the glass fixing ring
11
. A ring-shaped rotating bezel
15
is engaged with the outer peripheral surface of the glass fixing ring
11
and rotatably held thereby through a rubber packing
16
.
A holding rib
11
a
, which annularly extends, is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the glass fixing ring
11
, and an annular engaging rib
15
a
, which is formed so as to correspond to the holding rib
11
a
, is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating bezel
15
. The glass fixing ring
11
and the rotating bezel
15
are ordinarily composed of a metal such as stainless steel, titanium alloy and the like. The engaging rib
15
a
of the rotating bezel
15
and the holding rib
11
a
of the glass fixing ring
11
are temporarily deformed by pressing the rotating bezel
15
against the glass fixing ring
11
so that the rotating bezel
15
is fitted to and mounted on the watch case
10
. Many of rotating bezels are also abutted against the outer peripheral surface of the watch case so that the easily rotating property thereof to the watch case
10
is guaranteed by an insert member
17
such as a leaf spring, a bezel sheet or the like.
Note that while the above example shows the mounting structure of the rotating bezel in the case body of a one-piece type wrist watch, there is case in which the rotating bezel is directly mounted on the watch case or a bezel, or that it is mounted on the glass fixing ring and held thereby as described above.
However, in the mounting structure of the above rotating bezel
15
, since the rotating bezel
15
is fitted by temporarily deforming it and the glass fixing ring
11
, unless the materials of the rotating bezel
15
and the glass fixing ring or the watch case are carefully selected, there is caused a problem in that engagement is made impossible, or rotation of the rotating bezel is defectively performed due to damage to, deformation of an engaging portion, or generation of chips.
For example, the rotating bezel
15
has a problem that a brittle material such as ceramics, glass and the like, which have danger of breakage and a hard material such as cemented carbide and the like, which are difficult to be deformed, cannot be used as the material thereof. As a result, there is a drawback that a material cannot help being selected in a narrow range in equipment such as a wrist watch and the like which are provided with the rotating bezel and restriction also is imposed on the design thereof.
Further, even if a metal material is used in the rotating bezel
15
, when pure titanium and titanium alloy are used, the following problem arises. That is, since these raw materials are viscous material, the rotating bezel
15
is plastically deformed when it is mounted, by which it is made impossible to hold the rotating bezel
15
. Further, since a clearance cannot be secured in the engaging portion between the rotating bezel and the glass fixing ring or the watch case, defective rotation is caused, or when it is intended to remove the rotating bezel for repair or cleaning, it is fixedly attached to the glass fixing ring or the watch case and cannot be removed therefrom.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, is to provide a structure in which a rotating bezel is mounted on a case body, the structure being arranged such that even if a brittle material, a deformation difficult material, or a deformable material and the like are used in the rotating bezel, the rotating bezel can be mounted and removed without difficulty.
A measure applied by the present invention to solve the above problems is a mounting structure of a rotating bezel which is characterized in that a holding portion which has annular rotating bezel rotatably mounted on the outer surface portion of a case body and has an engaging structure for holding the rotating bezel in the case body with said holding portion capable of being elastically deformed in the radial direction of said rotating bezel as well as a clearance is formed to permit said holding portion to elastically deform in the radial direction of said rotating bezel.
According to the means, since the holding portion can be elastically deformed in the radial direction of the rotating bezel as well as the clearance for permitting the elastic deformation is formed, when the rotating bezel is engaged with the case body, the holding portion is deformed to permit the rotating bezel
25
to be directly or indirectly engaged with the case body and the holding portion is returned to its original state by elasticity in the state that the rotating bezel is directly or indirectly engaged with the case body. As a result, the rotating bezel can be easily mounted and removed, and moreover it is difficult to damage and deform the rotating bezel and the case body. Therefore, the selection of the materials of the respective parts such as the rotating bezel, the case body and the like is less restricted and a degree of flexibility in the design and decoration of the equipment including the rotating bezel can be increased.
The holding portion may be disposed to any of the case body, a different member mounted on the case body, the rotating bezel, and a different member mounted on the rotating bezel. Further, the holding portion may be disposed on both the case body side and the rotating bezel side.
It is preferable that the holding portion is composed of a different member which is directly or indirectly mounted on and fixed to the case body or the rotating bezel. The restriction in the selection of the materials of the case body and the rotating bezel can be more reduced by composing the holding portion of the different member without disposing it to the case body or the rotating bezel itself, whereby the degree of flexibility of the design and decoration of the entire equipment can be increased. In this case, the different member can be mounted and fixed in such a manner that it is jointed to the case body, the rotating bezel or a still different member mounted thereon by screwing, fixing through a fixing screw, welding, bonding and the like.
It is preferable that said holding portion includes a connecting section, which is directly or indirectly connected to the case body or to said rotating bezel, and an elastically deformable section, which extends from said connecting section along the outer surface of the case body or a different member directly or indirectly fixed to the case body or along the outer surface of said rotating bezel or a different member directly or indirectly connected to said rotating bezel in the state said clearance keeps to be secured. Since the holding portion is provided with the elastically deformable section which extends from the connecting section (which corresponds to a coupling section when it is arranged integrally with the case body, the rotating bezel or the different member and to a mounting
Ozawa Noriaki
Sasaki Shigemi
Miska Vit
Seiko Epson Corporation
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